From the Government that gave us 24-hour drinking, a £7m ad campaign on the perils of that extra pint

Labour has spent almost £7million on television adverts warning about the dangers of drinking in pubs – just four years after giving the go-ahead to 24-hour opening.

The commercials show the damage that an extra pint or glass of wine can inflict on internal organs – but they have led to accusations of hyprocrisy against the Government which allowed unrestricted drinking.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling said: ‘The sheer nerve of it. They are spending taxpayers’ money to try to solve the problems their policies have created.

‘There could be no clearer indication of a Government that has lost any sense of direction. We can’t go on like this.’

In pour health: Women drink in the kitchen in the adverts

Round-the-clock opening got the go-ahead 2005 after major lobbying by the leisure industry – and then-Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell said the changes ‘make it possible for the vast majority of people who drink but who never get into trouble to have more freedom as to when they drink’.

The adverts, produced in conjunction with Cancer Research UK, the British Heart Foundation and the Stroke Association, were first screened on February1 and will run for six weeks.

They begin with a group of three men drinking in a pub.

One man, whose body is replaced with an X-ray image that displays his internal organs, insists two pints is his limit. But the advert then shows him agreeing to stay for a third pint.

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The voiceover says: ‘Many of us like having a drink at the end of the day, and what’s wrong with that?’

It goes on to warn that having two pints a day makes men four times more likely to have high blood pressure, three times more likely to have a stroke and three times more likely to develop mouth cancer.

A separate television advert targets women – but this time it concentrates on those who drink at home with friends.

The advert shows two women in a kitchen drinking wine. They end up finishing the bottle and, accepting the final pour, one of the women shrugs and says: ‘It can’t do any harm.’

Hidden damage: This advert shows a X-ray of a man to demonstrate the damage an extra pint can do

The campaign adds to previous Know Your Limits strategies which aim to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed and the burden of alcohol-related illness on the NHS.

Government figures reveal 9,000 people died of alcohol-related causes in 2008. During 2007/08 there were 863,300 admissions to hospitals in England related to alcohol consumption – a 69 per cent rise since 2002/03.

Alison Rogers, chief executive of the British Liver Trust, said: ‘Sadly we find ourselves in a situation which is confusing and contradictory.

‘For instance, while the licensing laws from the Home Office promote the convenience of alcohol, the Department of Health’s campaign highlights drinking to excess can cause damage. Until there is one voice from Government we cannot expect to tackle alcohol health harms.’

Professor Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of GPs, said: ‘Extended licensing hasn’t helped the drinking culture in this country.’

The NHS recommends a daily alcohol limit of 2-3 units a day for women, equivalent to around two small glasses of wine, and 3-4 units for men, equivalent to two pints of lager.

The Government says around 10million adults in England regularly drink above those limits.

A YouGov poll released at the launch of the new campaign, which also involves posters and leaflets, suggests more than half of English drinkers believe alcohol is damaging only if you regularly get drunk.

‘But, if you’re regularly drinking more than the NHS recommended limits, you’re more likely to get cancer, have a stroke or a heart attack. It’s important to show the unseen damage alcohol can do to the body.’

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From the Government that gave us 24-hour drinking, a £7m ad campaign on the perils of that extra pint